Max Ehrmann
|birth_place = Terre Haute, Indiana |death_date = September |death_place =Terre Haute, Indiana |body_discovered = |death_cause = |resting_place =Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana |residence =Terre Haute, Indiana |nationality = American |ethnicity =Bavarian-American |citizenship = |other_names = |known_for =prose poem Desiderata (1927) |education = |alma_mater =DePauw University, Harvard University |employer = |occupation =lawyer, businessman |years_active = |home_town =Terre Haute, Indiana |salary = |networth = |height = |weight = |title = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |opponents = |boards = |religion = |spouse =Bertha Pratt King Ehrmann |partner = |children = |parents =Maximilian Ehrmann, Sr. Margaret Barbara Lutz Ehrmann |relations = |callsign = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} Max Ehrmann (September 26, 1872 - September 9, 1945) was an American poet, prose writer, and lawyer, widely known for his 1927 prose poem "Desiderata". Life Ehrmann was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was of German descent; both of his parents had emigrated from Bavaria in the 1840's. He was educated at the Terre Haute Fourth District School and the German Methodist Church. He received a degree in English from DePaul University in Greencastle, Indiana, which he attended from 1890 to 1894. While there, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta's Beta Beta chapter and was editor of the school newspaper, Depauw Weekly. Ehrmann then studied philosophy and law at Harvard University, where he was editor of Delta Tau Delta's national magazine The Rainbow, circa 1896. Ehrmann returned to Terre Haute in 1898 to practice law. He was a deputy state's attorney in Vigo County, Indiana, for 2 years. Subsequently, he worked in his family's meatpacking business and in the overalls manufacturing industry. At age 40, Ehrmann left the business to write. At age 54, he wrote Desiderata, which achieved fame only after his death. Reproduced by Volkert Braren Ehrmann died in 1945. He is buried in Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute. Writing Recognition Ehrmann was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from DePauw University circa 1937. He was also elected to the Delta Tau Delta Distinguished Service Chapter, the fraternity's highest alumni award. In 2010, the city of Terre Haute honored Ehrmann with a life-size bronze statue by sculptor Bill Wolfe. He is depicted sitting on a downtown bench, pen in hand, with a notebook in his lap. "Desiderata" is engraved on a plaque that resides next to the statue, and lines from the poem are embedded in the walkway. The sculpture is in the collection of Art Spaces, Inc. – Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection. In popular culture In 2002 the Terre-Haute Tribune-Star called him an "international treasure," noting that there were about 3,000 pages on the Web devoted to Ehrmann and his work.Mike McCormick, "Idealist, philosopher, 'word technician' Max Ehrmann a Terre Haute treasure", Tribune-Star, September 8, 2002. in Max Ehrmann (1872-1945, Strangers to Us All: Lawyers and Poetry, West Virginia University. Web, Feb. 16, 2013. Publications Poetry * Breaking Home Ties. New York: Doubleday and Co., 1904; New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1904. * Poems. Terre Haute, IN: Viquesney Publishing Co., 1906. * A Prayer and other selections. New York: Dodge Publishing, 1906. * Max Ehrmann's Poems. Terre Haute, IN: Viquesnay Publishing Co., 1906.Max Ehrmann's Poems (1906), Internet Archive, Web, Feb. 16, 2013. * The Poems of Max Ehrmann. New York: Dodge Publishing, 1910. * A Virgin's Dream, and other verses by scarlet women (New York, 1922) * The Poems of Max Ehrmann (edited by Berha K. Ehrmann). Boston: Crescendo Publishing Co., 1948. * Desiderata. Los Angeles, CA: Brooke House, 1972. *''The Desiderata of Happiness: A collection of philosophical poems'' (illustrated by Stephen Schutz). Blue Mountain Press, 1979; New York: Crown Publishing Group, 1992. * The Desiderata of Happiness: Poems of inspiration from the author of "Desiderata" (illustrated by Paul Saunders). London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1986. * The Desiderata of Love: A collection of poems for the beloved. Toronto: Crown Publishing Group, 1995. * The Desiderata of Faith: A collection of religious poems. Toronto: Crown Publishing Group, 1996. *''The Desiderata Of Hope: A collection of poems to ease your way in life''. New York: Crown Publishers, 1997. Plays * The Wife of Marobius: A play. New York: Mitchell Kennerly, 1911. * Jesus: A passion play. New York: Baker & Taylor Co., 1915 * Wife of Marobius, and other plays. Boston: Bruce Humphries, 1949. Fiction * His Beautiful Wife, and Other Stories. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana Publishing Co., 1925. * A Goose with a Rose in Her Mouth, and Other Stories. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana Publishing Co., 1925. Non-fiction * A Farrago, Cambridge, MA: Co-operative Publishing Co., 1898. * The Blood of the Holy Cross. Cambridge, MA: Co-operative Publishing Co., 1899. * The Mystery of Madeline Le Blanc. Cambridge, MA: Co-operative Publishing Co., 1900. * A Fearsome Riddle. Indianapolis, IN: Bowen-Merrill Co., 1901. * Who Entereth Here. New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1907. * The Gay Life. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana Publishing Co., 1925. * Scarlet Sketches. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana Publishing Co., 1925. * Being Conversations of Max Ehrmann (edited by Edna Smith). Terre Haute, IN: Indiana Publishing Co., 1926. * Worldly Wisdom: Being the wisdom of Jesus Sirach. Girard, KS: Haldeman-Julius Company (Little Blue Book No. 1735), 1934. Letters and Journals * Journal (edited by Bertha K. Ehrmann). Boston: Bruce Humphries, 1952. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Strangers to Us All: Lawyers and Poetry.Max Ehrmann (1872-1945), Strangers to Us All: Lawyers and Poetry. West Virginia University, Web, Feb. 16, 2013. Poems by Max Ehrmann *Desiderata See also *List of U.S. poets References * Bertha Pratt King Ehrmann (1951). Max Ehrmann: A poet's life Notes External links ;Poems *Desiderata by Max Ehrman at PoetSeers. *Max Ehrmann at AllPoetry (6 poems). *Max Ehrmann's poems at Indiana Authors and their Books. ;Books *Works by Max Ehrmann at the Internet Archive *Max Ehrmann at Amazon.com ;About *Max Ehrmann biography *Max Ehrmann 1872-1945 at Strangers to Us All: Lawyers and Poetry * ;Etc. *Max Ehrmann papers at DePauw University Category:1872 births Category:1945 deaths Category:DePauw University alumni Category:American poets Category:Indiana lawyers Category:American prosecutors Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:People from Terre Haute, Indiana Category:American people of German descent Category:American writers Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets